BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) businesses and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises have benefited from the Apprenticeship Grants for Employers of 16 to 24 year olds Scheme to date.

Matthew Hancock: The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16-24) provides payments of £1,500 to employers, with up to 1,000 employees, taking on new Apprentices aged 16-24.
	A breakdown of payments made to employers by business size is not available.
	Provisional data show that between 1 February 2012 and 30 April 2013, 30,300 employer workplaces received payment to take on an Apprentice through AGE 16-24. A further 4,000 workplaces have taken on an Apprentice through AGE 16-24 but the Apprentice has not yet been in post for 13 weeks for the employer to have been paid the £1,500 grant.
	The number of Apprenticeship starts through the AGE 16 to 24 scheme are published in a Supplementary Table to the SFR:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4A13E864-E4EB-444F-A80B-C223686AE061/0/June2013_ ApprenticeshipGrantforEmployersScheme_August Update.xls

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the compliance of the items being promoted at the Defence Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair by (a) Magforce International and (b) MyWay International Trading Co. with the UK's Export Control Order 2008; if he will make it his policy to withdraw his Department's support for the DSEI arms fair; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) is a commercial event organised by the company Clarion Events. The Export Control Organisation within BIS has set in place a Memorandum of Understanding with Clarion which sets out their role and responsibilities, and those of the exhibitor companies, in respect of export control legislation. BIS officials, alongside counterparts from other Government Departments, are working very closely with Clarion to ensure that the exhibitors comply as necessary with export control legislation.
	On 11 September Clarion found literature in alleged breach of UK export controls on the exhibition stands of Tianjin Myway International Trading Co. and Magforce International. Clarion took swift action to eject these companies from DSEI. The literature in question has been confiscated and passed to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
	There are no plans to withdraw Government support for this exhibition which is provided by UKTI Defence and Security Organisation in their role of working with UK industry to support legitimate defence and security exports by UK companies.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Jo Swinson: The Department spent £7,569,355 (inclusive of VAT) on refurbishment to its buildings in the last 24 months. The cost is for the refurbishment of office floor space including toilets, partitioning works, redecoration and also includes the fit-out of buildings to enable the space to be reoccupied by other Government Departments.

Business: Government Assistance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the £250 million Growth Accelerator Fund has been spent so far.

Michael Fallon: The GrowthAccelerator scheme has a total value of £200 million. At the end of June 2013, the Department had spent £51.5 million on the scheme.

Business: Government Assistance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individual firms have received support from the Growth Accelerator Fund in each month since its inception.

Michael Fallon: The GrowthAccelerator scheme provides intensive, expert business coaching and advice to help small businesses that have the potential for rapid growth. To date, 8,348 firms have received support from the scheme. A monthly breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2012  
			 March 1 
			 April 19 
			 May 60 
			 June 88 
			 July 221 
			 Augusts 275 
			 September 308 
			 October 444 
			 November 506 
			 December 399 
			   
			 2013  
			 January 737 
			 February 849 
			 March 940 
			 April 589 
			 May 707 
		
	
	
		
			 June 713 
			 July 704 
			 August 716 
			 September 72 
			 Total  
			  8,348

Cycling

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what input his Department provided to the Department for Transport's response to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling report, Get Britain Cycling.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a member of the Department for Transport's cross-Whitehall officials cycling group, the outputs of which informed the response to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling report.

Cycling

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provides for cycling infrastructure development.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not provide any funding for cycling infrastructure development.

Employment Agencies

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in his Department work on enforcement of regulations that apply to employment agencies and employment businesses.

Jo Swinson: The Employment Agencies Standards (EAS) inspectorate currently has 11 staff responsible for enforcing the regulations that apply to employment agencies and employment businesses.
	The Government consulted on this legislation earlier this year, and published our response on 12 July 2013. In that response, the Government indicated that it will be changing the enforcement strategy by moving to a more focused and targeted regime. In the future, the Government will focus resources on helping the most vulnerable workers who need protection, particularly those on National Minimum Wage (NMW), by moving resources from EAS to HM Revenue and Custom's NMW team. The Government's response can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-reforming-the-regulatory-framework-for-employment-agencies-and-employment-businesses

Equal Pay

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many companies participating in the Think, Act, Report initiative are publicly reporting under its transparency framework on pay measures they are taking to close the gender pay gap;
	(2)  how many female employees of those companies publicly reporting on pay measures to close the gender pay gap under the Think, Act, Report initiative potentially benefit from such measures;
	(3)  how many women are employed in those firms which are publicly reporting under the Think, Act, Report initiative; and how many such women are benefiting from measures introduced under that initiative.

Jo Swinson: ‘Think, Act, Report’ is designed to drive greater transparency around the role of women in the workplace. Well over a hundred companies are participating in the initiative, collectively employing around 1.85 million people in the UK.
	Virtually all of the companies publicly report the measures they are taking to promote gender equality in their work forces.
	Figures on exactly how many women are benefitting through the initiative, from which measures, and at which companies, could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Foreign Investment in UK

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade and Investment has secured in the year to date.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment publishes results by financial year (April to March) in June of each year. It does not report results on a year to date basis.
	The latest results, published in June 2013, reveal 1,559 FDI projects landed in the UK in 2012/13, an increase of nearly 11% on 2011/12.

Foreign Investment in UK

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the return on investment to the public purse from the London UK Trade and Investment office through inward investment and exports.

Michael Fallon: UKTI calculates the return on investment of its Trade and Investment related activity on a yearly basis using a range of measures including jobs created and safeguarded and additional sales and profit generated by export services. However, breakdowns of the data at either the regional or service level are not available.
	The latest Annual Report and Accounts shows that UKTI spent a total of £316.8 million in 2012-13 (of which £235.6 million were spent in trade support and £81.2 million on Inward Investment). On the trade side, UKTI supported 29,230 companies in the 12 months to September 2012, with reported additional sales of £49.6 billion, creating or safeguarding over 120,000 additional jobs. For inward investment, UKTI played an active role in attracting 1,322 projects in the UK in 2012-13 creating or safeguarding almost 100,000 jobs.
	For further detail on UKTI's measurement systems please see UKTI Trade and Investment Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/534440.html
	The latest inward investment results were published in the Inward Investment Report 2012-13:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/item/553980.html

Foreign Investment in UK

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the return on investment from the public purse from the UK Trade and Investment's private sector partners through the inward investment they attract into London.

Michael Fallon: UKTI calculates the return on investment of its Trade & Investment related activity on a yearly basis using a range of measures including jobs created and safeguarded. The contribution of private sector partners is subsumed within this activity, and the breakdown of the data by contribution of private sectors partners is not available.
	The latest annual report and accounts shows that UKTI spent a total of £316.8 million in 2012-13 (of which £235.6 million were spent in trade support and £81.2 million on Inward Investment). For inward investment, UKTI, including its private sector partners, played an active role in attracting 1,322 projects in the UK in 2012-13 creating or safeguarding almost 100,000 jobs.
	For further detail on UKTI's measurement systems please see UKTI Trade & Investment annual report and accounts 2012-13
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/534440.html
	The latest inward investment results were published in the Inward Investment Report 2012-13:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/item/553980.html

Foreign Investment in UK

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade and Investment and its private sector partners attracted into London during the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and its private sector partners attracted:
	(A) 540 projects landing in London in financial year 2012/13.
	(B) 512 projects landing in London in financial year 2011/12.

Foreign Investment in UK

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprise exporters in London contributed to the Trade Growth Value metric by reporting receipt of significant assistance from UK Trade and Investment during the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Michael Fallon: The Trade Growth Value metric is relatively new and still being embedded. It was designed to record cases where an enterprise has progressed in its pursuit of overseas business opportunities to the point of successfully winning contracts, whereas much of the assistance provided to exporters by UKTI team in London and in the English regions involves help at earlier stages in this export development process. As it often takes a considerable time before contracts are won, the number of enterprises reporting significant assistance and benefit from this support is measured through UKTI's independently administered Performance and Impact Monitoring Survey.
	The latest PIMS figures (published in June 2013) show that in the previous four quarters 166 enterprises were supported through Passport, 148 through Gateway to Global Growth and 639 through other significant one to one assistance by the London International Trade Advisers. PIMS results published in June 2013 show that 85% of clients reported significant business benefit through the Passport to Export Programme, 75% through the Gateway to Global Growth Programme; and 44% through other Significant Assists. In addition, during FY2012/13 six London SMEs completed Trade Growth Value (TGV) forms totalling £14.3 million. Between 1 April 2013 and 31 August 2013, 13 TGV forms have been received with a value of £75.2 million.

Holidays: Prices

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to prevent travel companies significantly raising prices during school holidays.

Jo Swinson: This Department is taking no steps to influence the price at which businesses choose to offer their services; that is a commercial matter for each business. Pricing in the leisure travel market reflects peaks and troughs in demand it experiences over the course of a year, and the need to attract consumers in a very competitive market.

Industry

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 517W, on Industry, for which sectors he intends to publish (a) strategy documents and (b) strategy documents for an industry-led strategy.

Michael Fallon: This year Government and business as part of the Industrial Strategy have jointly developed and published sector strategies for Aerospace, Automotive, Agritech, Information Economy, Professional and Business Services, Education, Construction, Offshore Wind, Civil Nuclear, and Oil and Gas. In December 2012 a one year on update to the Life Sciences strategy was published.
	In June 2013 an industry led sector strategy for electronics was published, and a new strategy from the Defence Growth Partnership was launched on 9 September. A chemicals strategy will be published this autumn.
	Beyond this, the Government provides a spectrum of support for all sectors of the economy ranging from light touch engagement, to fully coordinated sector partnerships.

Land Registry

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to launch a public consultation on the future status of the Land Registry.

Michael Fallon: No decision has been made yet on the future status of Land Registry. If there were to be any proposal for a change in the status of Land Registry, we would embark on a full and careful consultation.

Land Registry

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what negotiations are planned to take place between Land Registry employee representatives and the shareholder executive on the outline business case for proposed change of status.

Michael Fallon: The Government will consult with all stakeholders as part of its decision making process.

Land Registry

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the timetable for the change of status of the Land Registry before a public consultation on that matter takes place; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: No decision has been made yet on the future status of Land Registry. Once a decision has been made, the Government will consult with all stakeholders on timing.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the performance of local enterprise partnerships in rural areas.

Michael Fallon: The Government does not carry out assessments of performance of local enterprise partnerships. As partnerships of business and civic leaders, local enterprise partnerships are first and foremost accountable to their local community and local businesses.

Minimum Wage

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2013, Official Report, column 551W, on the minimum wage, what the outcome was of the meeting between him, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and officials from HM Revenue and Customs on enforcement of the national minimum wage; and what further steps will be taken against national minimum wage non-compliance as a result.

Jo Swinson: Attendees at this meeting confirmed the Government's commitment to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation through effective enforcement and support for the principle that everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.
	It was noted in the meeting that the work HMRC does on NMW enforcement is having positive results. In 2012/13 HMRC identified £3.9 million of wages in arrears for 26,519 workers—this represents a 33% increase in the number of workers that HMRC were able to help and a 26% increase in arrears identified compared to 2009/10. HMRC will continue to follow up every complaint referred to them from the Pay and Work Rights helpline (0800 917 2368).
	In terms of future steps, the Government are taking action to reduce non-compliance across the board. We are stepping up our communications activity to increase awareness of the minimum wage rules for all employers and workers. We want to help employers avoid falling foul of minimum wage rules unwittingly, and to ensure that individuals are well-informed about their minimum wage eligibility. We have already issued NMW posters to our stakeholders asking them to display them where employers and workers will see them.
	We have also announced that we will be simplifying the BIS NMW Naming Scheme to make it easier to name and shame more employers that break NMW law. Bad publicity is an additional deterrent to employers considering paying below the NMW. This is on top of financial penalties which employers already face if they fail to pay NMW. The revised naming scheme will come into effect from 1 October 2013.
	The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to work closely with HMRC to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to.

Post Offices

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Royal Mail post offices there were in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd is responsible for operational matters concerning the Post Office network, which includes the information requested. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis.

Jo Swinson: Subscriptions for the following newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications are arranged for the Department's Ministers:
	Daily Mail—Daily
	Daily Telegraph—Daily
	New Scientist—Weekly
	Private Eye—Fortnightly
	The Economist—Weekly
	The Financial Times—Daily
	The Guardian—Daily
	The Independent—Daily
	The Times—Daily
	Times Higher Education—Weekly
	Spectator—Weekly.

Summertime

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on retaining British Summer Time throughout the year.

Jo Swinson: The Government have no plans to change the current arrangement and retain British Summer Time throughout the year.
	Currently, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time in the winter and is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in the summer (British Summer Time).

CABINET OFFICE

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 768W, on cybercrime, what requests the Government made to (a) Google, (b) Facebook and (c) Microsoft for data in 2012-13 to inform those research studies.

Chloe Smith: I have no addition to make to my answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 768W.

Death: Weather

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many pensioners in Scotland who died in 2012-13 were classified as excess winter deaths;
	(2)  how many excess winter deaths there were in Scotland in winter 2012-13.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions.
	Excess winter deaths for Scotland are published annually by the National Records of Scotland as part of the annual 'Winter Mortality' publication which is available to download from the General Register Office for Scotland's website:
	www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/deaths/winter-mortality/index.html
	The latest available figures are for winter 2011-12. An estimate of excess winter mortality for pensioners is not available; however there were an estimated 1,190 excess winter deaths among people aged 65 an over in Scotland in 2011-12. There were an estimated 1,420 excess winter deaths among people of all ages in Scotland in 2011-12.
	Information about winter mortality in Scotland for 2012-13 will be published at the end of October.
	Figures for excess winter mortality in England and Wales are published annually on the ONS website. The latest statistical bulletin includes figures for winter 2011-12:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health2/excess-winter-mortality-in-england-and-wales/2011-12--provisional--and-2010-11--final-/index.html

Employment: Scotland

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are part-time; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are in the manufacturing sector.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking, how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are part-time (169110) and how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are in the manufacturing sector (169112).
	Information regarding the number of jobs created is not available. However, the ONS' Workforce Jobs statistics provides estimates on the number of jobs in Scotland, that are part-time and in the manufacturing sector. Net change in jobs between June 2010 and June 2013 has been provided.
	
		
			 Change in workforce jobs in Scotland since 2010 
			 Headcount 
			  Part-time jobs—not seasonally adjusted Manufacturing—seasonally adjusted 
			 June 2010 800,000 186,000 
			 June 2013 858,000 202,000 
			    
			 Net change between June 2010 and June 2013 58,000 16,000 
			 Note: Estimates of jobs by industry sector are adjusted for seasonal factors. Estimates of jobs by full-time/part-time status are only available without adjustment for seasonal factors. Source: Workforce Jobs, ONS

Low Pay

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2013, Official Report, column 379W, on low pay, what estimate he has made of the number of people in work who earn below £7.45 per hour in (a) the East Midlands, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber, (c) the West Midlands, (d) the North East, (e) the North West, (f) the South West, (g) the East of England, (h) Scotland, (i) the South East and (j) London; and how many such people are (i) women and (ii) men.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2013, Official Report, column 379W, on low pay, what estimate he has made of the number of people in work who earn below £7.45 per hour in (a) the East Midlands, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber, (c) the West Midlands, (d) the North East, (e) the North West, (f) the South West, (g) the East of England, (h) Scotland, (i) the South East and (j) London; and how many such people are (i) women and (ii) men. (168990)
	The following tables show the proportion of employee jobs with hourly earnings below £7.45 in the regions requested, as at April 2012, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for male employees, female employees and all employees.
	I note that £7.45 is the current rate suggested by the Living Wage Foundation for a UK living wage. The latest ASHE data are for April 2012, at which time the corresponding rate was £7.20. I have therefore also provided an answer which shows the proportions of employee jobs with earnings below £7.20 in April 2012 for the regions specified. In addition, since the Living Wage Foundation suggests a different rate for employees in London, I have also provided estimates of the proportion of employees in London with hourly earnings below £8.30, the living wage rate in April 2012, and £8.55, the current living wage rate.
	These estimates are from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is not possible to estimate the number of jobs with hourly pay between specified thresholds using ASHE data, though it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportions of jobs.
	
		
			 Proportion of employee jobs(1) paid less than (a) £7.45 and (b) £7.20 in April 2012 for specified UK regions 
			   Proportion of employee jobs (per cent) 
			   Hourly fate <£7.45 Hourly rate <£7.20 
			 North East All employees 23.3 21.1 
			  Male employees 15.7 13.7 
			  Female employees 30.5 28.1 
			     
			 North West All employees 22.9 20.6 
			  Male employees 17.5 15.7 
			  Female employees 28.2 25.4 
			     
			 Yorkshire and the Humber All employees 23.9 21.3 
			  Male employees 17.7 15.9 
			  Female employees 30.1 26.7 
			     
			 East Midlands All employees 24.2 21.7 
			  Male employees 17.6 15.7 
			  Female employees 31.6 28.4 
			     
			 West Midlands All employees 23.8 20.9 
			  Male employees 17.7 15.4 
			  Female employees 30.1 26.7 
			     
			 East of England All employees 22.2 19.6 
			  Male employees 16.4 14.8 
			  Female employees 28.1 24.6 
			     
			 London All employees 10.7 9.5 
			  Male employees 9.1 8.0 
			  Female employees 12.7 11.2 
		
	
	
		
			     
			 South East All employees 17.6 15.5 
			  Male employees 12.9 11.3 
			  Female employees 22.6 19.8 
			     
			 South West All employees 22.8 20.3 
			  Male employees 16.9 15.2 
			  Female employees 28.7 25.4 
			     
			 Scotland All employees 20.2 18.1 
			  Male employees 15.2 13.5 
			  Female employees 24.9 22.3 
			 (1 )Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence. Source: Annual Surveyor Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			 Proportion of employee jobs(1) paid less than (a) £8.55 and (b) £8.30 in April 2012 in London 
			   Proportion of employee jobs (percentage) 
			   Hourly rate <£8.55 Hourly rate <£8.30 
			 London All employees 17.1 15.8 
			  Male employees 14.6 13.6 
			  Female employees 20.0 18.3 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics.

Minimum Wage

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England were paid the minimum wage in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking, how many people in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England were paid the minimum wage in each of the last five years. (169002)
	The Office for National Statistics does not produce estimates for the number of people paid at the national minimum wage. However, you may be interested in the 2013 Low Pay Commission Report, which includes an estimate for the proportion of UK jobs that may be considered 'national minimum wage jobs', meaning that they are either below, at, or up to 5 pence above the national minimum wage.
	http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/report/pdf/9305-BIS-Low_Pay-Accessible6.pdf
	(see paragraph 2.5 on page 20)

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what proportion of single parents with dependent children are claiming council tax support in each (a) lower tier and (b) unitary local authority in England, as a proportion of all council tax support claimants under the age of 65 in each such area;
	(2)  how many lone parents in each local authority area in England are in receipt of council tax support.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities in England take child maintenance into account as income in their council tax support schemes; and in what manner this is being done in each such authority.

Brandon Lewis: Local councils had a duty to publish their council tax support schemes and information regarding the treatment of child maintenance will be available on each local authority's website. A comprehensive list is not centrally held.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been issued by his Department to local authorities regarding the treatment of child maintenance income for council tax support purposes.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government published guidance in May 2012 to help local authorities take account of their responsibilities in relation to vulnerable people including children when designing their local schemes. This guidance is available on the Department's website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/localising-support-for-council-tax-local-council-guidance

Council Tax: Arrears

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool, (c) Merseyside and (d) England are in council tax arrears.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not held centrally.

Trade Unions: Conferences

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the aggregate cost over the last five years of (a) facility time staffing, (b) travel and hotel expenses of facility time users, (c) hospitality by facility time users and (d) paid time off for facility time users to go to trade union conferences; and whether he has taken steps to reduce such expenditure;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the aggregate cost for its arm's length bodies over the last five years of (a) facility time staffing, (b) travel and hotel expenses of facility time users, (c) hospitality by facility time users and (d) paid time off for facility time users to go to trade union conferences; and whether he has taken steps to reduce such expenditure;

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to his Department of trade union subscription check-off arrangements was in the last 12 months;

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons he took the decision to end the check-off system of payment of union subscriptions direct from wages.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers in this Department believe that the current subsidies and support given to the trade unions by the public sector are poor value for money and represent an unhealthy relationship between the state and voluntary sector.
	Trade union activities and campaigning in local government, and indeed our Department, should be funded by members' subscriptions, not bankrolled by the taxpayer. Greater freedom from state dependency will help ensure that trade union bosses better reflect and respond to the wishes and views of the grassroots members who pay the bill.
	The following tables give a breakdown of the assorted costs to taxpayers.
	
		
			 Facility time staffing costs 
			 £ 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Department for Communities and Local Government(1) 245,644 177,100 160,725 140,687 153,814 
			 The Planning Inspectorate(2) 117,365 154,093 170,907 119,889 142,456 
			 Homes and Communities Agency(3) 23,139 14,972 21,778 38,038 23,143 
			 The Valuation Tribunal 4,909 3,547 2,499 1,332 827 
			 (1 )The increase in 2012-13 was not due to an increase in the number of trade union representatives, but rather a combination of higher staff salaries, following the annual pay changes and since trade union representatives in higher grades used more facility time than in the previous years. (2) The costs are based on average salaries across grades. The increase in 2012-13 was due to trade union representatives in higher grades using more facility time than in the previous year. (3 )These costs are based on calendar years—i.e. 2008 through to 2012. 
		
	
	For the five years requested, the estimated spend on facility time in the Audit Commission is £116,984 per year. However, the majority of facility time staff users have now left the organisation and the residual body no longer has the time sheet records to allow a more detailed analysis.
	The Local Government Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman do not collect comparative facility time or cost information on their trade union representatives.
	The following Arms Length Bodies do not have any trade union representatives: Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Leasehold Advisory Service, the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation, Building Regulations Advisory Committee and the Architects Registration Board.
	Figures are not held for the quangos which we have abolished, such as the Government Offices for the Regions, Tenant Services Authority and Standards Board. However, taxpayer savings will have been made as a consequence of their abolition.
	
		
			 Travel and hotel expenses of facility time users 
			 £ 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Department for Communities and Local Government 1,386 673 1,356 399 0 
			 The Planning Inspectorate(1) 19,889 15,918 14,240 2— 2— 
			 Homes and Communities Agency 0 0 0 0 0 
			 The Valuation Tribunal 636 3,163 2,520 890 949 
			 (1) Owing to the change over to a new finance system, the Planning Inspectorate do not hold the information concerning travel and hotel costs relating to facility time for 2011-12 and 2012-13. (2 )Spending not available. 
		
	
	Hospitality by facility time users
	This is a nil return, based on information centrally held.
	
		
			 Paid time off for facility time users to 20 to trade union conferences 
			  £ 
			 Department for Communities and Local Government (1)— 
			 The Planning Inspectorate (2)— 
			 Homes and Communities Agency 0 
			 The Valuation Tribunal 0 
			 (1 )Prior to April 2013, the Department allowed trade union representatives to attend their conferences from within their facility time allocation, and. we did not collect separate information for this. No paid facility time has since been given to attend the 2013 conferences. (2) Prior to April 2013. the Planning Inspectorate allowed trade union representatives to attend their conferences and it was recorded through their HR systems. In total 46 days were recorded costing £8,007 (salary). 
		
	
	Further cost savings
	Following the Cabinet Office review of the use of facility time and facilities in the civil service, the Department for Communities and Local Government has made further changes to its facility time arrangements. With effect from 1 April 2013, the overall facility allocation has been reduced to 0.04% of the pay bill and all trade union representatives will spend the majority of their time in civil service roles.
	The number of full-time trade union representatives has reduced to zero. We have also taken broader steps to prevent what Ministers in this Department consider to be inappropriate use of departmental facilities for campaigning purposes.
	The Department has also strongly encouraged its Arms Length Bodies to make changes to their facility time arrangements and has started to collect facility time cost information from the 1 April 2013. The following table shows the estimated costs for 2013-14.
	
		
			  Cost 
			 Department for Communities and Local Government Actual cost for April 2013—June 2013: £9,997 Estimated cost for year (2013-14): £40,000 
			 The Planning Inspectorate Actual cost for April 2013—June 2013: £7,958 Estimated cost for year: £17,250 
			 Homes and Communities Agency(1) Actual cost for April 2013—June 2013: £11,572 Estimated cost for year: £46,300 
			 Valuation Tribunal Service Actual cost for April 2013—June 2013: £109 Estimated cost for year: £800 
			 Audit Commission Actual cost for April 2013—June 2013: £320 Estimated cost for year: £2,000 
			 (1 )The increase from 2012-13 was a consequence of the transfer of the Tenant Service Authority's regulatory functions into the Homes and Communities Agency; future consolidation of facility time is currently being negotiated. 
		
	
	Check-off arrangements
	The cost to the core Department of administering the debits from payroll for ‘check-off are currently included in the total overall cost of the managed payroll service we receive from Logica and are not billed as a separate cost. The additional cost of transferring credits to the three recognised unions currently amounts to £329 per annum. In this context, given the total cost will be higher and bundled within the managed payroll service, there is a hidden subsidy to the unions. These figures do not include our Arms Length Bodies.
	As indicated above, this is not an issue of money, but also of the broader principle of taxpayer-funding of trade unions. Ministers in this Department do not believe it is appropriate for public resources to be used to support the collection and administration of membership subscriptions and believe is an outdated and unnecessary 20th Century practice. It is also unsatisfactory that trade unions like PCS collect the political levy via check-off, but make no attempt to inform would-be members that the political levy is optional or even mention the right to opt out on their membership forms. It is the view of Ministers in this Department that this is a misleading and dubious marketing practice through omission.
	Despite a legal challenge by PCS, based on a technical point of law stemming from the wording of the staff handbook introduced during the last Labour Government, it remains Ministers' intention to take the necessary steps to end the check-off arrangements.
	In relation to the costs from that legal case, I would also observe that PCS has a larger unpaid bill from two years ago for costs awarded to the Government after PCS's failed judicial review of the Civil Service Compensation scheme reforms.
	Conclusion
	In total, we estimate that the ongoing savings to facility time may in due course represent up to £400,000 a year of taxpayers' money, as well as delivering a clearer and healthier separation between trade unions and the state.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Boxing

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department issues guidance on the (a) benefits and (b) risks of boxing.

Hugh Robertson: The Amateur Boxing Association of England is the body which issues guidance on the benefits and risks of boxing. DCMS does not issue such guidance. The Sport England NGB Whole Sport Plan Standard Terms and Conditions in respect of statutory compliance include all relevant health and safety laws, though there is no specific health and safety guidance.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) her Department and (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Hugh Robertson: The Department has not carried out any office refurbishments in each year since 2010-11. The Department does not hold information for non-departmental public bodies.

Lotteries

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on the good causes which receive funding from society lotteries.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS is aware of the wide range of good causes, which receive funding from society lotteries. The Gambling Commission licences society lotteries, on the proviso that these are promoted for the benefit of a non-commercial society; for example for charitable purposes or for the purpose of enabling participation in or supporting sporting or cultural activities. Details about licensed society lotteries can be found on the Commission's website:
	www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Public Libraries: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of children in schools in England who are outside the pilots of automatic library membership, have library cards.

Edward Vaizey: The specific information requested is not held centrally, however the annual statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy provides detail on the proportion of the local authority population aged 0-12 who are local authority library members. Copies of CIPFA statistics are available in the House Library.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged.

Hugh Robertson: The Department spent no money on public relations and public affairs consultants in the financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13. This financial year the Department has spent £5,000 on the development of a strategic communications framework and report for the £1 billion broadband programme that the Department is tasked with delivering.
	In respect of the Department's associated public bodies we do not hold this information centrally.

Telecommunications: Direct Selling

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with telecommunications companies on their telephone sales policies.

Edward Vaizey: No recent discussions of this nature have been held, although in the past year I have held two roundtable meetings with representatives of tele- communications companies, consumer groups and MPs to consider possible measures to tackle the issue of unsolicited sales calls. All companies, irrespective of sector, are required to comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003. These regulations forbid them from making an unsolicited telephone sales call to a consumer whose number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), or if they have previously advised the caller not to make further calls to them. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) enforces the PECR and can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000 for a breach of the regulations.

Telecommunications: Direct Selling

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the practice of telephone selling by telecommunications companies.

Edward Vaizey: While no such assessment has been made, all companies making sales calls must comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003. The PECR does not allow telephone sales calls to a consumer, whose number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), or if they have previously advised the caller not to make further calls. Companies using predictive diallers to generate calls are also required to comply with Ofcom regulations regarding silent and abandoned calls. Companies found in breach of such regulations can face penalties of up to £2 million.
	As noted in our recently published strategy paper 'Connectivity, Content and Consumers: Britain's digital platform for growth', we are exploring further options to tackle nuisance calls including telephone sales calls. Further details about our proposals is at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/connectivity-content-and-consumers-britains-digital-platform-for-growth

Trillium

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS has incurred no expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group in any year since 2008.

DEFENCE

Cybercrime

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to prevent internet hackers from accessing sensitive information held by his Department.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence reviews the cyber threats to sensitive information held by the Department regularly. We ensure that such threats are considered fully in the design and use of information systems. Information on the steps we take to secure our systems and to prevent access by unauthorised users is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Defence: Procurement

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent with each company which has indicated an interest in the Government-owned, Contractor-operated entity, in each year since 2008.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 9 September 2013
	Two consortia are competing to run a potential Government Owned Contractor Operated entity for the future management and operation of Defence Equipment and Support. The companies comprising each consortium are:
	CH2M Hill, Atkins and Serco; and
	Bechtel with PwC and PA Consulting.
	Since January 2011, as part of this Government's commitment to increase transparency, central Government Departments have been required to publish information on the contracts they award on the Contracts Finder. This information is available online at
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	Expenditure on Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts with these companies in each financial year between 2008-09 and 2010-11 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 Financial year CH2M Hill Atkins Serco Bechtel PwC PA Consulting 
			 2008-09 — 28.7 575.9 24.3 4.8 7.9 
			 2009-10 — 24.7 549.0 6.8 3.8 7.8 
			 2010-11 — 18.5 539.8 0.4 1.9 6.5 
		
	
	These figures include expenditure by MOD Trading Funds, but do not include payments which may have been made on behalf of other Government Departments, by the MOD's Executive non-departmental public bodies that lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary, locally by the Department through third parties such as prime contractors or other Government Departments and in relation to collaborative projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas Governments. Payments made by Government Procurement Card are also not included.
	The Invitation to Negotiate contains clear statements to bidders of the divestments required to avoid conflicts of interest.

Defence: Research

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions he has put in place to limit the transfer of UK military research and development to other countries.

Philip Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 23 June 2011, Official Report, column 382W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Windsor (Adam Afriyie).

Defence: USA

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to improve defence technology co-operation between the UK and US.

Philip Dunne: The Strategic Defence and Security Review published on 19 October 2010 emphasised that the US remains the UK's primary strategic collaborator. We are currently strengthening our collaborative engagement with the US by increasing the proportion of our research programme undertaken on a collaborative basis in a number of key areas.
	The UK/US Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty was brought into force in 2012 to facilitate closer UK/US cooperation, including between our industries. The Treaty simplifies transfer arrangements between the US and UK for certain categories of technology, when destined for UK and US Government end-use, and seeks to improve interoperability and the delivery of capability to our armed forces.
	US-UK cooperation on nuclear technology continues to be enhanced through the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement.

Reserve Forces: West Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reserve force facilities there are for each service in West Sussex; how many reservists attend each such base regularly; and if he will make a statement. [Official Report, 21 October 2013, Vol. 569, c. 1-2MC.]

Andrew Murrison: holding answer 10 September 2013
	Detailed in the following table are the names of each reserve force base in West Sussex, the total number of reservists recorded against this group of bases and the number which attend regularly. Regular attendance figures have been determined by the number of reserve personnel who were eligible to receive their bounty within the 12 months previous to 1 July 2013.
	
		
			 Army Volunteer Reserve 
			 Base Location Total at base In regular attendance 
			 Baker Barracks Thorney Island 250 150 
			 Crawley TAC Crawley 250 150 
		
	
	The figures in the above table have been rounded to the nearest 10 and should be considered estimates.
	Army Volunteer Reserve figures are for trained and untrained Army Reserve including Groups A, B, C and therefore include Mobilised Army Reserve, Officer Training Corps and Non Regular Permanent Staff. They exclude Full Time Reserve Service, Regulars and Gurkhas.
	The number of Army Volunteer Reserves shown includes Reserves who may attend bases located throughout the UK, but are recorded against bases in West Sussex because that is where the Unit Headquarters is based.

Scotland

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department has reviewed its contracts currently held with companies based in Scotland that could, in the event of Scottish independence, be transferred to other parts of the UK;
	(2)  if he will estimate the total budget within which his Department would operate in the event of Scotland becoming independent.

Andrew Murrison: The UK Government is not planning for Scottish independence and cannot pre-negotiate the details of independence ahead of the referendum. We are confident that the people of Scotland will continue to support remaining within the UK.

EDUCATION

Children: Day Care

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  when each Minister of his Department last visited a childcare setting;
	(2)  what childcare settings he has visited since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The most recent official visits to child care settings made by Ministers at the Department for Education are as follows:
	I visited Chiltern College day nursery, Reading on 12 September 2013;
	the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr Timpson), visited Stone Grove Children's Centre, Edgware on 27 November 2012;
	the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), visited Churchill Gardens Children's Centre, London on 27 August 2013.
	It is not possible to provide a full list since 2010 as this would fall under disproportionate cost.
	These visits do not include political or constituency visits.

Cycling

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what input his Department provided to the Department for Transport's response to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling report, Get Britain Cycling.

David Laws: The Department for Education did not provide any formal input into the Department for Transport's response to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling report, Get Britain Cycling.

Education: Finance

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his estimate is of the real terms changes (a) in total and (b) per pupil in his Department's budgets for (i) all spending, (ii) spending on schools and (iii) spending on schools capital projects in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: The Department's gross budgets and schools budgets since 2010-11 in real terms are shown in Table 1 as follows. Over the period schools funding has risen in real terms by around 3% and per pupil funding has been maintained in cash terms.
	
		
			 Table 1: Department's budget and schools budget (real terms in 2013-14 prices based on March 2013 estimates of GDP deflators) 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Resource DEL (£ million)(1) 54,360 53,206 52,425 53,267 
			 Schools Resource DEL (£ million)(1) 45,056 44,703 45,877 46,441 
			 Per pupil funding: (£)(1, 2)     
			 Real terms 5,950 5,840 5,910 5,930 
			 Cash terms 5,630 5,640 5,780 5,930 
			 (1 )All figures represent budgets and include depreciation. The figures do not represent actual outturn. (2 )Figures are calculated using actual numbers of 3-19 year olds in maintained schools and Academies. 
		
	
	Budgets for schools capital projects since 2009-10 are shown in Table 2 as follows.
	
		
			 Table 2: Budget for schools capital projects (real terms based on March 2013 estimates of GDP deflators) 
			 Financial year Total capital allocations(1)(£ million) 
			 2009-10 6,197 
			 2010-11 7,314 
			 2011-12 5,241 
			 2012-13 4,606 
			 2013-14 3,983 
			 2014-15(2) 4,484 
			 2015-16(2) 4,405 
			 (1 )Figures exclude PFI credit allocations. (2 )Provisional. 
		
	
	The Government are spending more in real terms on schools capital in this parliament than the previous administration did in its first two terms combined.

Email

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions he copied emails from his private email account to his departmental email account where information was generated in the course of conducting Government business in the last three months; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), ensures that e-mails generated in the course of conducting Government business are copied to government secure intranet accounts. They could be sent to a number of relevant departmental accounts rather than his own.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to educate girls on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Elizabeth Truss: Education plays an important role in helping to ensure that young people are equipped with the information they need to make informed, healthy decisions and to keep themselves safe.
	Schools are required to teach drug education as part of the national curriculum science key stage 2 and key stage 3. It is a matter for schools to decide whether they want to build on this provision through Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education.
	The National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome UK (NOFAS-UK) is dedicated to supporting people affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), and their families and communities. They have developed a range of materials available on their website specifically for teachers.

Pre-school Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many nurseries he estimates will open in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of nurseries that will open.
	The Government is, however, taking steps to remove the barriers to new providers entering the early education and child care market, and to existing nurseries expanding. We are consulting on removing planning barriers to converting buildings into nurseries, we are making it automatic for good nurseries to offer government-funded early education places and we are making it easier for schools to open nurseries.
	We also want to see a growth in the number of child minders, which is why we are legislating to enable the creation of child minder agencies which will reduce their paperwork and free them to care for children.

Public Appointments

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the non-executive board members of his Department, the dates on which they were appointed and the dates on which their terms of office will expire.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 6 September 2013
	The following list details the Department for Education's Non-Executive Board Members, the dates of their appointments and the dates their terms of office will expire.
	1. Paul Marshall, Lead Non-Executive Board Member— 4 March 2013 to 4 March 2016.
	2. Theodore Agnew, Non-Executive Board Member—16 December 2010 to 12 December 2013.
	3. Dame Sue John, Non-Executive Board Member—16 December 2010 to 12 December 2013.
	4. David Meller, Non-Executive Board Member—20 June 2013 to 20 June 2016.
	5. Jim O'Neill, Non-Executive Board Member—2 September 2013 to 2 September 2016.

Pupils: Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effect of children having a spare room in which to study on educational attainment.

David Laws: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the effect on children's attainment of having access to a spare room.

Schools: Boxing

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advice his Department issues on the provision of boxing in schools.

Edward Timpson: Boxing is not compulsory in the national curriculum. It is for individual schools to decide what sports to offer, based on their assessment of the needs of their pupils.
	If a school decides to offer boxing, it should do so in compliance with health and safety law, which would include conducting appropriate risk assessments, ensuring that proper protective equipment is used, and providing close supervision of all bouts.

Written Questions

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his involvement is in authorising releases of responses to written parliamentary questions that have been submitted by the hon. Member for West Bromwich East in which information has been requested in relation to his responsibilities or the functioning of his private ministerial office.

Elizabeth Truss: Ministers respond to the parliamentary questions relevant to their departmental policy' portfolios. By convention the Secretary of State for Education does not respond to parliamentary questions and has no involvement in authorising his Ministers' answers. To ensure all Members' questions were answered at the end of last parliamentary session the Secretary of State made an exception to this convention and cleared a small number of questions, which were answered in his name.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many badger carcasses resulting from the pilot badger culls have been disposed of at category 1 waste facilities; and if he will list those facilities;
	(2)  how many badgers have been reported killed in the two pilot badger cull areas.

David Heath: holding answer 10 September 2013
	Badger carcases resulting from the pilot badger culls need to be recorded and disposed of in line with legal requirements as Category 1 waste under the Animal By-products Regulations. The two badger pilot culls are being carried out by companies under licence from Natural England. Detailed operational information will not be published during the pilots. A full report will be published after the end of the culls.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Kashmir

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his overseas counterparts about the recent shelling of the line of control in Kashmir; and what reports he has received of casualties and human rights abuses in that area.

Hugo Swire: UK Officials in Islamabad and Delhi regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with both governments, including incidents on the line of control and concerns about human rights abuses. We encourage India and Pakistan to take further steps to strengthen their relationship, but recognise that a solution to the Kashmir dispute is something that both sides will need to develop.
	The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Syria

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates each of the 14 attacks in Syria using chemical weapons took place; and on what dates the UK Government was informed of each attack.

Alistair Burt: It is normal practice that we do not comment on intelligence matters. Our assessment of these events in Syria, including the date of any attack is based upon information gathered from a wide range of sources, not all of which can be disclosed publically.

Visits Abroad

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries he has visited in an official capacity since taking office in May 2010.

William Hague: I have visited a total of 71 countries in an official capacity since 12 May 2010. The countries visited are as follows:
	Afghanistan
	Algeria
	Australia
	Bahrain
	Belgium
	Bosnia and Herzegovina
	Botswana
	Brazil
	Brunei and Darussalam
	Burma
	Canada
	China
	Croatia
	Cyprus
	Czech Republic
	Democratic Republic of the Congo
	Denmark
	Egypt'
	Ethiopia
	Finland
	France
	Germany
	Ghana
	Grenada
	Hungary
	India
	Iraq
	Ireland
	Israel/Occupied Territories
	Italy
	Japan
	Jordan
	Kenya.
	Kosovo
	Lao People's Democratic Republic
	Lebanon
	Libya
	Lithuania
	Luxembourg
	Mali
	Malta
	Mauritania
	Morocco
	The Netherlands
	New Zealand
	Oman
	Pakistan
	Panama
	Poland
	Portugal
	Qatar
	Republic of Moldova
	Romania
	Russian Federation
	Rwanda
	Saudi Arabia
	Serbia
	Singapore
	Somalia
	South Africa
	South Sudan
	Spain
	Switzerland
	Syria
	Thailand
	Tunisia
	Turkey
	United Arab Emirates
	United States
	Vietnam
	Yemen

Western Sahara

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 578W, on Western Sahara, whether money paid by the EU for fishing opportunities in the waters of Western Sahara will be used for the benefit of (a) the local Saharawi population and (b) Moroccan settlers in the Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: The Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet been agreed. I expect the European Commission to publish proposals in the near future. The agreement as initialled does require Morocco to report on the geographical distribution of European funds for structural support and infrastructure, and to include the impact on jobs and investment.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have waited longer than four hours for treatment in accident and emergency units in (a) England and (b) the West Midlands in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: In England, in the week ending 1 September 2013, 17,238 patients in England waited longer than four hours in accident and emergency (A&E) departments (all types) from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. In the West Midlands, 1,909 patients waited longer than four hours (representing 3.9% of patients attending).
	Statistics on A&E departments are published weekly on the NHS England website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

Boxing

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department issues on the health benefits of boxing.

Anna Soubry: The Department has not issued advice on the health benefits of boxing. However, the Department does encourage participation in sport and wider physical activity in view of the important health benefits this can bring, as set out in the four home countries' chief medical officers’ report ‘Start Active, Stay Active’, published in July 2011. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Cycling

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what input his Department provided to the Department for Transport's response to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling report, Get Britain Cycling.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Transport has had regular engagement with the Department of Health, as well as with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Education and the Department for Community and Local Government, to ensure an ongoing dialogue about all aspects of cycling policy. As a result, these Departments provided input to relevant sections of the response to Get Britain Cycling.

Cycling

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department provides for cycling infrastructure development.

Anna Soubry: The Department has a £1 million fund to be shared amongst the successful city ambition grants to promote walking alongside cycling. This is a revenue allocation (so not necessarily infrastructure) and is still at the bidding stage.

Dermatology

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance his Department gives to clinical commissioning groups on the psychological effects of skin disease to assist them when drawing up a local dermatology service specification for the purposes of a tender;
	(2)  to what extent must potential providers of dermatology services demonstrate they have the capacity to address the psychological effects of skin disease when they bid for a service from clinical commissioning groups.

Norman Lamb: NHS England has responsibility for dermatology services.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on dermatological conditions which includes recommendations on the assessment of the psychological effects of these conditions.
	We understand that NHS England is working with NICE and others to ensure NICE guidance and quality standards on dermatological conditions are available to both commissioners and providers.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to produce a strategy to address foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Anna Soubry: The Government's Alcohol Strategy, published on 23 March 2012, addresses the full range of harm from alcohol.
	The strategy recognises that:
	foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are caused entirely by drinking alcohol during pregnancy and so are completely preventable; and
	FASD can be caused by mothers drinking alcohol even before they know they are pregnant, so preventing them is strongly linked to reducing levels of heavy drinking in the population, especially among women.
	We will continue to raise awareness of the need for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive to avoid alcohol, including by increasing the awareness of health professionals.
	The Chief Medical Officer is overseeing a review of the Government's alcohol guidelines, including those for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.
	The Department will continue to raise awareness of research needs for FASD, including gaps in our knowledge on whether a 'safe' level of alcohol consumption could be identified, how to characterise and diagnose neuro- developmental problems in children with FASD, prevalence of the condition, and effective treatment.

General Practitioners

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the population was registered with a GP in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012.

Norman Lamb: This information requested is contained in the following table, which suggests that the total number of registered patients is greater than 100% of the population:
	
		
			 General practitioner (GP) registered patients and population in England 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Population 51,815,813 52,196,381 52,642,452 53,107,169 53,493,729 
			 Registered patients(1) 53,944,734 54,609,309 55,019,190 55,308,092 55,736,347 
			 Proportion (percentage) 104.1 104.6 104.5 104.1 104.2 
			 (1) GP registered patients: data at 30 September each year. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	The number of registered patients is higher than the total population due to a number of factors, including patients dying or emigrating, as well as patients who relocate and register at a new practice before their registration at their previous practice is deleted.
	NHS England is tasked with developing a national strategy for ensuring a consistent approach to data quality of GP patient lists and ensuring that best-practice data quality initiatives are included in standard procedures.

Health and Social Care Act 2012

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the saving to the public purse in 2015-16 as a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	The long term annual efficiency savings arising from the reforms set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 are expected to be £1.5 billion in 2015-16 and beyond, as set out in the impact assessment for the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 and confirmed by the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), in his written statement of 18 July 2013, Official Report, column 125-126WS. These savings in administrative costs will be available for re-investment in front line health services.

Hospitals: North East

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, columns 45-8WS, on NHS winter planning, for what reasons he did not allocate any additional resources to hospitals in the North East of England.

Anna Soubry: Decisions on which of the 53 high risk trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made by NHS England, jointly with Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority.
	Funding is being targeted in those areas that have been struggling to manage the increase in attendances at accident and emergency (A&E) in recent months. The fact that hospitals in the north-east are not to receive any additional money is a sign that they are performing well in delivering their A&E services. Nonetheless we are not complacent; each of the 143 urgent care boards have presented specific plans for initiatives to alleviate pressures on local A&E departments, and NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority will be working with hospitals across the whole country to ensure that emergency services are ready for winter.

Multiple Sclerosis: Drugs

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that the Sativex form of nabiximols is available at NHS facilities in (a) Liverpool, (b) Merseyside and (c) England.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently updating its clinical guideline on the management of multiple sclerosis in primary and secondary care. Sativex is one of the new interventions which NICE has identified for inclusion in its updated guideline, which it currently expects to publish in October 2014.
	In the absence of positive NICE technology appraisal guidance, national health service commissioners should make funding decisions based, on an assessment of the available evidence and on the basis of an individual patient's clinical circumstances.
	In April 2013, under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (as amended) the Home Office rescheduled Sativex, a cannabis based medicine, from a schedule 1 controlled drug to a part 1 schedule 4 controlled drug. The rescheduling reflects Sativex's low potential for abuse or diversion.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on holding public consultations on reconfiguration proposals prior to any merger of NHS foundation hospital trusts that would entail such reconfiguration;
	(2)  pursuant to his oral statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 837, on accident and emergency departments, in response to the hon. Member for Christchurch, if he will set out the criteria that he would use to assess whether downgrading the accident and emergency unit at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital would be to the benefit of patients;
	(3)  what powers he has to prevent an NHS foundation trust from downgrading one of its accident and emergency departments to a minor injuries unit; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Government is clear that the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local national health services. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population.
	Reconfiguration is about modernising the delivery of care and facilities to improve patient outcomes, developing services closer to home and most importantly—saving lives. We believe all service changes should be led by clinicians, and not driven from the top down. All major service changes should be subject to a full public consultation.
	These principles are enshrined in the four reconfiguration tests issued to the NHS in 2010. All local reconfiguration plans should demonstrate: (i) support from general practitioner commissioners; (ii) strengthened public and patient engagement; (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base; and (iv) support for patient choice.
	It is the legal role of local authorities to form health and overview scrutiny committees that can engage with the local NHS and evaluate any proposed service changes against these four tests throughout the reconfiguration process. Should those committees have concerns about the NHS’ final proposals, including the way they were consulted upon, it has the right to refer those proposals to the Secretary of State for Health for an ultimate decision on the proposals.
	Before making such a decision, the Secretary of State would seek the independent, expert advice of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

School Milk

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of childcare settings participating in the Nursery Milk Scheme in the 2013-14 academic year.

Daniel Poulter: The Department currently has no plans to increase the number of child care settings participating in the Nursery Milk Scheme in the 2013-14 academic year. However the Department may take a different view pending the conclusion of the current consultation process. It is possible that the number of children eligible for Nursery Milk may increase as a result of the Department for Education offering funded early education places to two-year-olds from September 2013.

School Milk

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the benefits of the Nursery Milk Scheme;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education regarding the Nursery Milk Scheme.

Daniel Poulter: No recent assessment has been made of the benefits of the Nursery Milk Scheme.
	Following the Department's proposed response to the ‘Next Steps for Nursery Milk’ consultation, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), wrote in April 2013 to confirm his Department's increased contribution to the Nursery Milk scheme. This increase is a result of the Department for Education offering funded early education places to two-year-olds from September 2013.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Boxing

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice her Department provides on the provision of boxing as an intervention in tackling anti-social behaviour and youth crime.

Jeremy Browne: The Government recognises the important part that boxing and other diversionary activities can play in preventing young people getting involved in crime and antisocial behaviour. However, the Department does not provide advice on the provision of boxing as an intervention. Police and Crime Commissioners, police forces and their partner agencies are best placed to consider and decide how to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour at local level.

Crime

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the criteria are for a reported crime being recorded as a crime.

Jeremy Browne: The recording of crime is governed by the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS). NCRS only applies to those notifiable offences which should be notified to the Home Office and not to all offences which are reported to the police.
	Notifiable offences include all offences that could possibly be tried by a jury (these include some less serious offences, such as minor theft that would not usually be dealt with this way) plus a few additional closely-related offences, such as assault without injury.
	The NCRS states that:
	“Following the initial registration, an incident will be recorded as a crime (notifiable offence) for offences against an identified victim if, on the balance of probability:
	(a) the circumstances as reported amount to a crime defined by law (the police will determine this, based on their knowledge of the law and counting rules), and
	(b) there is no credible evidence to the contrary.
	For offences against the State the points to prove to evidence the offence must clearly be made out, before a crime is recorded.”

Entry Clearances

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's policy is on reducing the income thresholds for family visas applications.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 September 2013
	The Government has no plans to reduce the minimum income threshold for sponsoring a spouse or partner and dependent children of non-European economic area nationality to settle in the UK under the family immigration rules. The level of the income threshold, which was set in the light of advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, reflects the level of income at which a couple, once settled in the UK, generally cannot access income-related benefits. The income threshold therefore prevents family migrants becoming a burden on the taxpayer and helps to ensure that they are well enough supported to integrate effectively in British society.

Entry Clearances

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many family visa applications have been paused since 5 July 2013.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 September 2013
	Spouse or partner and child settlement visa and leave to remain applications have been put on hold since the 5 July 2013 High Court judgment in MM & Others, where the only grounds on which the application falls to be refused are the applicant's failure to meet the income threshold (under Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules or the related evidential requirements under Appendix FM-SE).
	The Home Office is putting in place arrangements to monitor the number of applications put on hold.

Entry Clearances: Married People

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how her Department plans to amend spouse visa rules following the High Court judgement on 5 July 2013.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 September 2013
	We have no plans to amend the Immigration Rules for spouse or partner visa applications following the 5 July 2013 High Court judgment in MM and Others. The Home Office is pursuing an appeal against the judgment. The Court of Appeal has agreed to our request to expedite this, but it is a matter for the Court of Appeal how quickly the appeal is considered. Until the legal challenge has been finally determined by the courts, applications will be placed and will remain on hold where grounds relating to the income threshold would be the sole basis for refusal.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many education institutions are able to offer below-degree level courses to adults entering the UK under Tier 4 of the points-based system.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 September 2013
	There are 1,710 education institutions that are able to offer below-degree level courses to adults under Tier 4.
	The total number above is derived from the published register of Tier 4 sponsors:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pointsbasedsystem/registerofsponsorseducation
	Note:
	The register of Tier 4 sponsors is updated daily. The figures provided are accurate as of 9 September 2013.

Firearms: Licensing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to introduce full cost recovery for firearms licence applications.

Damian Green: We remain firmly committed to ensuring taxpayers do not continue to bear the burden of subsidising the firearms licensing administration process. We are working with the police to improve the efficiency of the licensing process, in part by moving much of the licensing system online. Once these efficiencies are realised we will be in a position to move to full cost recovery. In the interim we are considering options on how to address the shortfall in part, and in a manner that is fair and proportionate.

Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has had any recent communication with the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration on guidelines surrounding the ministerial use of powers of redaction.

Mark Harper: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), exercises her power to redact information from the chief inspector's reports in line with the provisions in the UK Borders Act 2007, which provide that she may omit material from his reports if she thinks that its publication is undesirable for reasons of national security or might jeopardise the safety of an individual. Home Office Ministers have regular communications with ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such communications.

Neighbourhood Watch Schemes

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to encourage neighbourhood watch schemes in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) the UK.

Jeremy Browne: The Home Office encourages community-based efforts to prevent crime and has provided funding to the national Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network (NHWN) to help support and promote local schemes in 2013-14.
	Police and Crime Commissioners also play a key role in crime prevention, and many are working closely with local Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

Pathology: South West

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether she intends to increase resources available for the training of pathologists in the South West;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to improve the provision of pathology services in the South West.

Jeremy Browne: In general, pathology is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt).
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), is responsible specifically for forensic pathology services, and the Home Office maintains the Home Office register of forensic pathologists on my behalf.
	Home Office registered forensic pathologists are independent of the police, coroners and the Home Office; and group practices are currently structured so that pathologists working within them may be self-employed or employed by a university hospital or a hospital trust.
	The Home Office register of forensic pathologists is a list of forensic pathologists who meet the criteria for registration as detailed in ‘The Process and Criteria for Recommendation for Admission to the Home Secretary's Register’ which is the responsibility of the Home Office Pathology Delivery Board's Registration and Training Committee, and sets out what is required of all candidates who apply to join the register.
	There are currently 37 forensic pathologists on the register, working in six group practice areas around England and Wales, who provide a service to police and coroners in their geographical areas of operation, to assist in the investigation of violent and suspicious death cases.
	The West and South West forensic pathology group practice currently consists of five self employed forensic pathologist consultants.
	The Home Office currently funds the initial training of prospective members of the Home Office register.
	Both the initial and ongoing training for members of the register is administered and overseen by the Royal College of Pathologists; and members of the register are also required to attend regular Continuing Professional Development events as part of their criteria for continuing registration.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people in Cleveland have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) jailed for offences under (i) section 2a and (ii) section 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 to date;
	(2)  how many people in Cumbria have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) jailed for offences under (i) section 2a and (ii) section 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 to date;
	(3)  how many people in Lincolnshire have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) jailed for offences under (i) section 2a and (ii) section 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 to date.

Jeremy Browne: The information requested on arrests and charges are not collected centrally.
	Offences for stalking introduced in sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, as inserted by section 111 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, commenced on 25 November 2012.
	The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) advises that between 25 November 2012 and the end 31 December 2012 there were no convictions (and hence no immediate custodial sentences) for offences under sections 2A or 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in the Cleveland, Cumbria or Lincolnshire police force areas. Offence level court proceedings data for 2013 are scheduled for publication by MoJ in May 2014.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many speed cameras there have been in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people were caught speeding by a speed camera in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how much has been generated through speed cameras in (a) the East Midlands and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Browne: Information is not held centrally on the number of speed cameras and numbers of people who have been caught speeding by a speed camera. Available data held by the Home Office is at police force area level and relates to the number of persons who were issued with a fixed penalty notice for speeding offences by speed cameras in the Nottinghamshire police force area, East Midlands, England and England and Wales. The data is given in the following table. Information relating to Ashfield constituency is not collected centrally.
	
		
			 Number of fixed penalty notices issued for speeding offences detected by cameras , Nottinghamshire police force area, East Midlands, England, England and Wales region, 2007 to 2011 
			  Nottinghamshire East Midlands England England and Wales 
			 2007 — — — 1,296,137 
			 2008 — — — 1,047,523 
			 2009 30,005 76,609 817,279 884,749 
			 2010 16,614 59,862 724,322 783,666 
			 2011 17,407 58,176 585,431 625,518

St Pancras Station: Immigration Controls

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when, and under whose authority, the practice of requiring Eurostar passengers travelling between Brussels and London to keep their boarding passes for checking on arrival at St Pancras was introduced.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 September 2013
	The Secretary of State and Immigration Minister approved this course of action in 2012 until a permanent Eurostar led solution can be developed.
	This is a proportionate response to a known border security risk.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

ICT

Julian Huppert: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the policy of PICT is on (a) the use of open source software and (b) the choice of computer languages used for developing ICT services; and when this policy was last reviewed.

John Thurso: Parliamentary ICT's objective is to procure or produce IT services and systems which meet business requirements as cost-effectively as possible, in terms of their whole lifecycle and total cost of ownership. Where systems are developed in-house, to meet unique parliamentary needs, open source products are always considered as part of the design process. Several such products are currently in use in Parliament. PICT's bespoke software development is undertaken to open standards using methodologies appropriate to existing technologies, which are selected on grounds of effectiveness, economy, extensibility and the ready availability of the skills required for their operation, support and maintenance.
	The director of PICT would be happy to meet the hon. Member to discuss these matters.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

India

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what private sector projects her Department will support in India after 2015.

Justine Greening: Our plans for supporting private sector projects in India after 2015 are not finalised, but we will seek to make investments in India's low income states which will benefit the poorest people while also generating a return.

India

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department will provide to the Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme in India after 2015.

Justine Greening: As Technical Assistance, DFID's Poorest Access Civil Society (PACS) Programme will run until March 2016. Our transition plan will include working with PACS partners to help decrease their reliance on international funding.

India

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK assistance to India after 2015 will benefit the poorest and most marginalised.

Justine Greening: Our new development partnership with India after 2015 will continue to focus on the poorest and most marginalised people. We will do this through providing technical assistance, and investments in private sector projects which benefit the poor.

India

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's (a) definition is and (b) plans are for technical assistance as it relates to her Department's support for India from 2015 onwards; and who the providers and intended recipients of that assistance will be.

Justine Greening: DFID use the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) definition of technical cooperation, which is available online at:
	http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=6022
	Our plans for technical assistance support for India from 2015 onwards are still in development.

Staff

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department has undertaken a human resources review in light of her Department's 30 per cent budgetary increase in 2013 and whether this will affect her Department's staffing levels.

Justine Greening: The Department regularly reviews staffing levels. Since 2010, DFID has reduced the number of staff in corporate functions, while recruiting staff with specialist skills into frontline posts.

Syria

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment her Department has made of the ability of humanitarian organisations to deliver aid in Syria.

Justine Greening: Humanitarian organisations are continuing to distribute aid in Syria, although worsening security and bureaucratic hurdles imposed by the Syrian Government are slowing delivery. The UK supports humanitarian organisations to deliver aid in all 14 Syrian governorates.

JUSTICE

Youth Offending Teams

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budgets for each youth offending team were in each financial year between 2009-10 and 2013-14.

Jeremy Wright: Youth offending teams (YOTs) are multi-agency partnerships. Their budget comprises funding provided primarily by the local authority and local statutory partners; including the police, probation, health authorities and where relevant the Welsh Assembly Government. Additional funding is provided by the Ministry of Justice through the Youth Justice Board (YJB) in the form of youth justice good practice grants to YOTs. Individual contributions vary but on average this grant from the YJB represents around a third of a YOT's funding.
	The data in the following table have been provided by the YJB and sets out the total budget for each YOT, comprising all contributions from local statutory partners and the YJB, for each financial year from 2009-10 to 2012-13. It is not possible for a number of YOTs to confirm their full budget allocation for the current financial year, as they do not yet know what they will receive from their statutory partners. My officials will write to you in October to inform you of these figures, once known.
	YOTs reported working with 66,430 young people in 2011-12, a 48% reduction since 2008-09 and a reduction of 22% since 2010-11, The average youth custodial population has also fallen: from 2,040 in 2010-11 to 1,963 in 2011-12 and 1,561 in 2012-13 (a 23% reduction from 2010-11, figures for 2012-13 are provisional). It is against this backdrop that decisions relating to funding have been made.
	In the last decade the number of young people entering the youth justice system for the first time has more than halved. Youth offending teams play a key role in diverting young people away from crime. Through the Troubled Families programme, the Government has also made available £448 million to local authorities—a key aim of which is to reduce reoffending.
	The table shows the total budget of each YOT in England and Wales during the financial years 2009-10 to 2012-13.
	YOT funding data are published for each financial year on the MOJ website in the January following the financial year to which it refers. Prior to 2011-12 only the national total was published but for 2011-12 the breakdown by youth offending team was included.
	Data for 2012-13 are due to be published in January 2014 and so the usual validation and reconciliation process has not yet been completed.
	Full data for 2013-14 are not yet available as negotiations at local level to finalise partners' contributions to YOT funding have not been concluded for some youth offending teams.
	
		
			 Budgets of YOTs in England and Wales 
			 £ 
			 Youth offending team 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,281,941 2,290,187 1,883,240 1,796,256 
			 Barnet 1,276,792 1,259,808 1,296,953 1,299,585 
			 Barnsley 1,956,020 1,960,970 no data 653,212 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 841,714 856,574 803,949 778,161 
			 Bedfordshire 2,729,838 2,656,936 2,335,114 1,789,448 
			 Bexley 1,021,855 935,361 1,310,630 1,199,833 
			 Birmingham 9,719,341 9,345,932 8,283,424 7,745,181 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 1,853,654 1,746,268 1,356,602 1,283,375 
			 Blackpool 1,735,631 1,691,310 1,903,840 1,940,642 
			 Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly 2,385,825 2,385,318 1,717,746 1,544,749 
			 Bolton 1,606,002 1,635,511 1,959,173 1,672,975 
			 Bournemouth and Poole 1,356,047 1,350,269 1,040,397 1,341,738 
			 Bracknell Forest 704,895 712,628 878,751 783,905 
			 Bradford 3,626,645 3,576,390 3,134,567 2,932,695 
			 Brent 1,998,440 2,439,516 1,914,010 1,466,923 
			 Bridgend 960,643 961,008 1,113,022 1,054,610 
			 Brighton and Hove 1,375,113 1,270,937 1,456,519 576,961 
			 Bristol 3,350,722 3,283,821 2,710,210 3,157,721 
			 Bromley 1,552,789 1,657,378 1,638,793 1,474,671 
			 Buckinghamshire 2,226,579 2,192,555 1,813,706 1,767,307 
		
	
	
		
			 Bury 1,386,163 1,297,454 1,334,327 632,900 
			 Calderdale 1,773,757 1,844,241 1,640,845 1,473,785 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,388,328 1,846,580 1,798,531 1,813,522 
			 Camden 2,844,490 2,514,014 2,610,722 3,060,972 
			 Cardiff 2,924,598 2,922,743 2,328,026 2,502,963 
			 Carmarthenshire 1,554,035 1,095,867 1,148,295 1,129,593 
			 Ceredigion 775,196 798,578 804,430 799,565 
			 Cheshire 3,156,329 3,398,012 2,647,968 2,026,435 
			 Conwy and Denbighshire 1,264,170 1,299,708 1,309,842 1,240,157 
			 Cornwall 2,285,722 2,166,363 1,805,407 1,491,401 
			 Coventry 2,698,202 2,642,215 2,460,556 2,216,685 
			 Croydon 3,302,809 3,547,945 2,707,685 2,657,604 
			 Cumbria 2,967,085 2,858,406 2,223,577 2,119,954 
			 Darlington 1,059,154 1,016,263 1,016,009 906,889 
			 Derby 2,345,070 2,266,631 1,911,072 1,644,305 
			 Derbyshire 4,118,468 3,557,072 3,743,398 3,682,415 
			 Devon 3,280,479 3,312,329 3,154,836 3,019,440 
			 Doncaster 2,485,766 2,573,435 2,230,284 2,352,240 
			 Dorset 1,794,302 1,756,108 1,815,974 2,075,000 
			 Dudley 2,576,355 2,591,505 2,003,265 1,990,382 
			 Durham 4,278,497 4,288,558 3,866,460 3,983,399 
			 Ealing 1,891,113 1,864,217 1,633,125 1,545,535 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,450,770 1,589,920 1,366,719 1,258,170 
			 East Sussex 2,391,373 2,391,373 2,125,910 1,928,579 
			 Enfield 2,695,552 2,898,542 2,538,215 2,571,555 
			 Essex 5,691,710 5,499,319 4,449,390 5,138,049 
			 Flintshire 1,582,045 1,532,776 1,278,485 1,323,098 
			 Gateshead 2,180,463 2,267,815 2,005,213 1,375,395 
			 Gloucestershire 3,998,144 3,413,263 2,953,739 2,514,277 
			 Greenwich 2,833,793 3,070,382 1,772,267 1,806,262 
			 Gwynedd Mon 1,348,473 1,523,135 1,321,172 1,366,238 
			 Hackney 3,018,842 2,931,476 3,255,089 2,394,924 
			 Halton and Warrington 1,936,158 1,745,427 1,672,150 1,655,919 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,800,736 2,338,710 2,472,684 1,703,797 
			 Hampshire (1)n/a (1)n/a (1)n/a 4,860,500 
			 Haringey 2,417,838 2,381,943 2,747,267 2,744,667 
			 Harrow 1,013,251 1,657,468 965,010 1,307,166 
			 Hartlepool 1,367,752 1,355,674 1,178,921 878,222 
			 Havering 1,323,191 1,250,197 1,167,771 1,147,021 
			 Hertfordshire 4,396,475 4,389,475 4,172,734 4,154,975 
			 Hillingdon 2,091,881 2,101,013 2,364,649 1,568,745 
			 Hounslow 1,579,931 1,682,338 1,427,744 1,384,036 
			 Isle of Wight (1)n/a (1)n/a 690,783 684,710 
			 Islington 1,772,150 1,996,502 1,582,367 1,688,367 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,672,210 1,713,974 1,383,300 1,211,683 
			 Kent 7,275,766 6,689,740 4,957,251 5,463,748 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 2,529,154 2,741,315 2,463,862 2,075,114 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 1,016,900 1,049,546 985,034 889,633 
			 Kirklees 3,115,755 3,075,072 2,507,850 2,650,285 
			 Knowsley 1,787,503 1,789,883 1,537,533 1,647,770 
			 Lambeth 2,952,133 2,950,666 2,659,652 3,932,145 
			 Lancashire 5,926,128 5,940,873 5,638,207 5,226,273 
			 Leeds 7,076,142 7,076,323 6,442,778 5,911,896 
			 Leicester City 3,109,136 3,042,298 3,013,196 2,614,059 
		
	
	
		
			 Leicestershire 2,848,496 2,837,736 2,515,657 2,424,155 
			 Lewisham 1,859,249 3,363,570 2,960,959 2,552,275 
			 Lincolnshire 3,456,337 3,333,018 2,786,368 2,288,185 
			 Liverpool 5,957,228 6,026,884 4,904,912 2,305,658 
			 Luton 1,987,839 1,955,526 1,695,707 1,698,137 
			 Manchester 5,109,710 5,108,091 4,059,239 4,013,622 
			 Medway 1,310,020 1,232,451 1,232,726 1,176,160 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 674,637 693,263 869,560 805,573 
			 Merton 994,465 1,051,945 1,164,500 1,226,315 
			 Milton Keynes 1,656,747 1,687,547 1,643,328 1,558,819 
			 Monmouthshire and Torfaen 1,664,033 1,618,033 1,458,533 1,461,371 
			 Neath Port Talbot 2,015,039 1,771,311 1,241,817 1,332,968 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 3,146,255 2,894,562 2,356,185 2,858,915 
			 Newham 3,300,948 2,858,948 1,906,959 1,906,231 
			 Newport 1,489,215 1,475,529 1,348,475 1,285,736 
			 Norfolk 3,726,732 3,888,837 3,280,620 3,176,587 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1,343,171 922,504 731,151 1,264,820 
			 North Lincolnshire 1,122,550 1,095,843 1,068,394 1,146,808 
			 North Somerset 859,575 1,029,683 936,178 957,704 
			 North Tyneside 1,257,820 1,258,955 1,325,043 1,232,758 
			 North Yorkshire 3,452,255 3,485,701 3,317,367 2,969,538 
			 Northamptonshire 4,166,339 3,928,624 3,467,095 3,450,224 
			 Northumberland 845,215 2,084,025 1,942,799 2,004,038 
			 Nottingham 3,636,565 3,591,476 3,317,781 3,137,319 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,353,814 4,930,190 5,840,576 8,383,150 
			 Oldham 1,788,778 1,754,575 1,619,135 1,586,910 
			 Oxfordshire 3,231,309 3,231,629 3,777,275 1,866,015 
			 Pembrokeshire 879,969 882,801 965,617 1,065,906 
			 Peterborough 1,909,665 1,831,905 1,471,429 1,386,008 
			 Plymouth 1,545,627 1,590,571 1,427,286 1,371,549 
			 Portsmouth (1)n/a (1)n/a (1)n/a 944,729 
			 Powys 1,168,466 1,125,643 1,009,145 983,197 
			 Reading 1,641,116 1,427,379 814,075 1,014,489 
			 Redbridge 2,429,210 2,055,365 1,595,241 1,560,981 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 2,446,048 2,595,640 2,365,464 2,165,334 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 338,877 391,433 355,161 340,481 
			 Rochdale 2,152,537 2,052,720 2,381,461 1,965,509 
			 Rotherham 2,111,464 2,138,434 1,612,543 1,475,686 
			 Salford 1,615,467 1,602,467 1,765,483 1,355,583 
			 Sandwell 1,698,726 2,110,250 1,828,625 1,918,273 
			 Sefton 2,155,497 2,022,297 1,801,120 1,758,640 
			 Sheffield 3,913,533 3,606,374 3,299,055 3,139,756 
			 Shropshire Telford and Wrekin 2,081,348 2,534,888 2,288,445 2,185,966 
			 Slough 1,120,039 1,192,285 991,327 976,129 
			 Solihull 1,296,632 1,269,124 1,138,745 1,127,092 
			 Somerset 2,765,027 2,726,507 2,249,586 2,222,459 
			 South Gloucestershire 960,943 1,013,823 936,335 856,076 
			 South Tees 3,045,911 3,026,931 2,086,043 1,970,405 
			 South Tyneside 1,715,498 1,933,540 1,673,171 1,616,493 
			 Southampton (1)n/a (1)n/a (1)n/a 1,135,154 
			 Southend-on-Sea 1,150,823 1,213,605 1,131,732 1,132,019 
			 Southwark 3,651,455 4,046,280 3,298,444 3,352,307 
		
	
	
		
			 St. Helens 1,609,070 1,752,288 1,304,370 1,320,338 
			 Staffordshire 4,967,156 5,017,381 4,571,144 2,954,368 
			 Stockport 1,821,110 1,664,368 1,961,239 1,832,364 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 1,352,921 1,443,837 1,391,292 1,352,873 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 2,702,422 3,013,305 2,325,409 2,170,925 
			 Suffolk 3,717,721 3,591,686 3,543,424 3,284,703 
			 Sunderland 4,241,479 3,781,917 3,610,655 3,753,768 
			 Surrey 3,662,070 3,585,012 3,644,876 8,335,405 
			 Sutton 903,070 780,794 879,143 787,976 
			 Swansea 2,746,781 2,376,040 2,229,063 2,318,787 
			 Swindon 1,066,211 1,010,570 991,723 1,071,127 
			 Tameside 1,725,737 1,728,462 1,369,103 985,338 
			 Thurrock 1,157,463 1,522,352 938,624 905,501 
			 Torbay 899,418 920,336 985,033 805,514 
			 Tower Hamlets and City of London 1,984,677 2,140,560 1,976,516 1,776,053 
			 Trafford 3,039,043 3,224,241 1,599,257 1,776,773 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 1,101,760 1,197,805 1,230,131 1,198,260 
			 Wakefield 2,298,350 1,985,070 1,954,940 1,862,017 
			 Walsall 1,899,897 1,725,848 1,724,342 1,109,225 
			 Waltham Forest 1,854,939 1,855,870 1,667,076 1,712,622 
			 Wandsworth 2,033,437 2,268,339 2,180,918 2,041,835 
			 Warwickshire 2,375,757 2,496,493 2,447,361 2,602,151 
			 Wessex 8,975,186 9,359,257 7,135,696 (1)n/a 
			 West Berkshire 1,062,717 1,055,936 1,130,777 1,039,589 
			 West Mercia (1)n/a (1)n/a (1)n/a (1)n/a 
			 West Sussex 2,296,034 1,819,569 1,605,839 1,691,657 
			 Westminster 1,293,607 1,350,498 1,243,941 1,268,207 
			 Wigan 2,224,521 2,219,831 2,196,205 2,204,328 
			 Wiltshire 1,789,983 2,505,668 1,494,226 1,941,628 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,140,718 542,528 520,845 549,193 
			 Wirral 2,757,225 2,832,470 2,705,780 2,656,724 
			 Wokingham 652,760 543,308 506,385 493,054 
			 Wolverhampton 2,902,716 2,711,810 2,826,672 2,591,184 
			 Worcestershire and Herefordshire 3,507,975 3,491,437 2,847,584 2,746,386 
			 Wrexham 1,278,203 1,167,646 1,348,398 1,294,749 
			 York 918,964 1,034,696 1,129,983 1,052,166 
			      
			 Grand total 372,071,247 372,971,307 332,314,064 322,279,367 
			 (1) Rearrangement of youth offending teams (YOTs) means the named YOT did not exist during the specified period. Notes: 1. The figures relate to the total annual budget as reported to the YJB by each YOT. 2. The data provided are for financial years April to March. 3. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

NORTHERN IRELAND

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what requests she has made for Barnett consequentials for Northern Ireland arising from the High Speed 2 project.

Theresa Villiers: Barnett consequentials for HS2 will be determined in line with the Statement of Funding Policy in the normal way.

TRANSPORT

A14

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the additional capacity will be of the planned A14 toll road between Ellington and Girton.

Stephen Hammond: Under the proposed scheme currently being consulted on, the Highways Agency are proposing a tolled route between Ellington and Brampton providing an additional 103 lane kilometres.
	In addition, they are proposing to add a further (non-tolled) 18 lane kilometres between Brampton and Swavesey providing a total additional capacity of 121 lane kilometres.
	Under the proposals the existing A14 through Huntingdon would be detrunked but maintains its existing capacity.

A14

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of the costs of development of the proposed new A14 toll road that will be met by tolling.

Stephen Hammond: In the spending review announcement in June 2013 the Government announced a capital investment for the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement scheme of £1.5 billion.
	It was estimated that tolling revenue would be in the order of £30 million per annum.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of insurance companies being able to store information collected from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for commercial purposes.

Stephen Hammond: No recent assessment has been made of insurance companies being able to store information collected from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for commercial purposes. Insurers may request information from the DVLA for the handling of motor insurance claims and to help prevent fraud. The information obtained may not be used for any other purpose. Insurers are required to adhere to the data protection requirements governing the storage and processing of personal data.

Driving: Young People

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the Green Paper on young driver safety; and what the reasons are for the delay in publication of this report.

Stephen Hammond: We intend to publish the Green Paper later in the year. This is an important piece of work and we need to make sure we consider the issues thoroughly before we come forward with the Green Paper.

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations on safety of HGV wheels; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent research his Department has undertaken on the safety of HGV wheels;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with trade bodies on HGV wheel safety.

Stephen Hammond: There has been no assessment of regulations on the safety of HGV wheels. However, the Department has recently consulted the trade associations of heavy vehicle operators to survey their members' experiences of road wheel durability. The study report will be available shortly and will inform any future decisions on research and the need for regulatory intervention.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts about changes to the rules for roadworthiness inspections.

Stephen Hammond: Both myself and the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), have had general discussions with the European Commission and with representatives from other member states, including the Irish presidency on the roadworthiness proposal since it was published in July 2012.
	More specifically, I addressed the Council of Transport Ministers on this issue in October 2012 and also December 2012 where the majority of member states agreed a General Approach on Periodic Technical Inspection which modified the proposal to be more acceptable for the UK. The Secretary of State attended the Council meeting in June this year where general approaches were agreed on roadside inspection and on the registration directive.
	I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement concerning the Transport Council in December 2012 on 7 January 2013, Official Report, columns 10-12WS.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the provisions within the EU Roadworthiness Package.

Stephen Hammond: The EU Roadworthiness Package is a wide ranging legislative proposal. It comprises of two regulations and a directive containing several detailed annexes. An initial assessment of the implications for vehicle examination in the UK was included in my letter to the European Affairs Committee of 8 October 2012. The EU have not been able to prove any significant improvements to road safety for the UK and, as such, I have opposed those measures that result in additional cost or administrative burden for the UK motorist or business.

Motorcycles

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legislative proposals his Department has considered bringing forward for the registration of off road motor bikes in order to facilitate police prosecution of owners if such bikes are ridden illegally or dangerously on roads.

Stephen Hammond: Consideration has previously been given to introducing legislation making the registration of off road motor bikes mandatory. Most recently when a Private Members Bill was put forward in June 2012.
	It is already an offence to use an unlicensed or uninsured vehicle on the road. The police are able to use existing powers to take action against someone riding a motor bike illegally or dangerously.

Offshore Industry: Norway

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will conduct a full review of all helicopter operations in the UK Continental Shelf which includes in the terms of reference comparisons with the (a) safety record and (b) inspection of helicopter operations in the Norwegian offshore sector.

Simon Burns: The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is currently investigating the recent accident involving an AS332 L2 Super Puma helicopter on 23 August 2013. In its Special Bulletin issued on 5 September 2013 the AAIB stated that, to date, no evidence of causal technical failure had been identified. Both the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are satisfied that there is no evidence to suggest that there are any issues with the Super Puma helicopter and are content for operations to continue. It would be inappropriate, at this stage, for me to consider whether a full review of offshore helicopters is necessary, pending the outcome of the AAIB investigation.

Roads: Accidents

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road deaths were recorded in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The reported numbers of fatalities in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years were as follows:
	
		
			 Number of reported fatalities in Ashfield constituency, Nottinghamshire, the East Midlands and England: 2008-12 
			 Fatalities 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 (a) Ashfield 3 4 2 2 3 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Nottinghamshire 49 48 29 37 33 
			 (c) East Midlands 245 227 183 187 170 
			 (d) England 2,123 1,880 1,553 1,594 1,491 
		
	
	2013 data will be available in June 2014.

Tolls

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the provision of alternative, toll-free routes when a toll is introduced on an existing road.

Stephen Hammond: The Government have made a very clear commitment not to toil existing road capacity. It has, however, always said that it will consider tolling as an option for funding new road capacity where schemes deliver new roads or transform an existing road into a new route beyond all recognition.
	Where tolls are used to fund new road capacity drivers will have a choice whether or not to use the tolled section of the road or travel via other routes.

Tolls

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional free-of-tolling routes between Ellington and Girton have been planned for development.

Stephen Hammond: A 5 week public consultation exercise for the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme started on Monday 9 September in order to gain views of the proposed scheme, tolling arrangements and other options considered.
	As part of the scheme proposals, heavy traffic would have non-tolled alternatives: either via the A1 and the A428 from St Neots to Cambridge; or via the country A-roads through St Ives. Light vehicles would also be able to use the de-trunked route of the former A14 through Huntington and a short length of Brampton Road.
	Full details of the proposals can be viewed in the consultation document which is available on the HA website.

TREASURY

Financial Services

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he plans to bring forward proposals for the continuation of money transfer services in relation to Somaliland and Somalia; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the British banking sector and regulators on the suspensions of money transfer services by Barclays;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the United States banking sector and regulators on the suspension of money transfer services by Barclays.

Sajid Javid: The Government recognises that money service businesses play a critical role and is committed to supporting a thriving and well regulated money remittance sector.
	Last month, the Government chaired a round table attended by representatives from Parliament, Government, anti-money laundering supervisors, banks, money service businesses and trade associations to discuss the impact of regulation, supervision and other important factors on money remittances.

G20

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral statement of 9 September 2013, Official Report, column 706, on G20, if the Prime Minister will raise the issue of money transfer services and global regulation with his US and other G20 counterparts.

Sajid Javid: The Government recognises that money service businesses play a critical role and is committed to supporting a thriving and well regulated money remittance sector.
	Last month, the Government chaired a round table attended by representatives from Parliament, Government, anti-money laundering supervisors, banks, money service businesses and trade associations to discuss the impact of regulation, supervision and other important factors on money remittances.
	The Government and appointed anti-money laundering supervisors maintain an ongoing dialogue on this issue with a range of stakeholders, both in the UK and internationally.
	The Department for International Development has commissioned and funded independent reports to assess the impact on the money service business sector and consider solutions for Somalia in particular. The Government will consider these reports and their recommendations to formulate a way forward.

Income Tax

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals no longer pay income tax in (a) Kettering constituency, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) England as a result of the increase in the personal income tax allowance since May 2010.

David Gauke: holding answer 9 September 2013
	By April 2013, the cumulative effect of the Government's increases in the personal allowance for those aged under 65 years (born after 5 April 1948 since 2013-14 tax year) since 2010-11 had taken 2.4 million people out of the income tax system of which 2.0 million are in England.
	These estimates are based on the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.
	Reliable estimates are not available at the parliamentary constituency or county level due to greater uncertainties in making projections for smaller geographical areas.

Insurance Companies

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he plans to introduce a dedicated switching service in the insurance industry.

Sajid Javid: The Government has no plans to introduce a dedicated switching service for insurance policies. Competition is currently maintained through online comparison sites and brokers, and customers are able to cancel their current policies to take advantage of these services.

Insurance: Databases

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the introduction of a centrally held No Claims Database for use by insurers.

Sajid Javid: The Government has no plans to introduce a centrally held No Claims Database for insurers. The Claims and Underwriting Exchange, a company set up through industry cooperation, already enables all major insurers to access information on previous insurance contracts. Offering a no claims discount on the basis of this information is a commercial decision for insurers.

Insurance: Databases

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to allow the insurance industry greater access to data that would allow insurance companies to validate an individual's (a) identification and (b) claims history.

Sajid Javid: The Government has no plans to increase insurer's access to customer data for identification or claims history. There are multiple commercial operators and industry-led initiatives which fulfil this function.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to which Government department the UK's official development assistance budget has been allocated in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014; and how much each such Department will administer in each such year.

Danny Alexander: Overseas Development Assistance will be allocated to Departments in 2013 and 2014 as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Department 2013 2014 
			 DFID 10,070 10,481 
			 FCO 248 248 
			 DE 3 3 
			 DH 15 16 
			 MoD 5 5 
			 BIS 31 31 
			 DECC (International Climate Fund) 400 220 
		
	
	
		
			 DECC (non-International Climate Fund) 6 6 
			 DCMS 0 0 
			 HO 10 10 
			 DWP 4 4 
			 DEFRA (International Climate Fund) 30 40

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total costs to date have been of his Department's consultation entitled Stamp Duty Land Tax: Consultation on the potential impacts of devolving to the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Government.

David Gauke: The Government consultation entitled ‘Stamp Duty Land Tax: Consultation on the potential impacts of devolving to the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Government’ allowed the Government to hear directly from business and other groups interested in this issue.
	The cost of this consultation has been absorbed by the Treasury's existing budget for tax policy making and has not been recorded separately.

WALES

Commission on Devolution in Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of any additional costs incurred by the Commission on Devolution in Wales due to the Government not responding to the Commission's Part 1 recommendations by the end of Spring 2013;
	(2)  what steps he has put in place to monitor the costs incurred by the Commission on Devolution in Wales.

David Jones: None. The Commission on Devolution in Wales fulfilled its Part 1 remit in November 2012.
	The Commission is an independent body with its own delegated budget, and is responsible for its own expenditure within that budget. The Wales Office meets the Commission secretariat on a monthly basis to monitor its spend against budget.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Mark Hoban: In accordance with cross government arrangements; DWP reports sick leave expressed as average working days lost (AWDL) per employee per year. The following table provides AWDL data and targets for the last five performance years.
	
		
			  AWDL Target 
			 2012-13 (1)7.3 7.0 
			 2011-12 7.3 7.0 
			 2010-11 8.1 7.7 
			 2009-10 8.5 7.7 
			 2008-09 8.9 7.7 
			 (1 )This figure does not include Child Maintenance Group who joined the Department in August 2012. 
		
	
	DWP has succeeded in cutting sickness absence from an annual average of 11.1 days per employee in 2007 to 7.4 days per employee currently. As a result, we are spending around £26 million per year less on sick pay and saving time which is the equivalent of employing around 1,500 extra employees.
	DWP does not report an employee absence rate, in line with cross government arrangements. Leave entitlement is not recorded centrally and to calculate an employee absence rate would incur disproportionate costs.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Mark Hoban: The estimated spend on accountants by the Department for Work and Pensions for each year since 2010 is as follows:
	
		
			  Estimated spend (£ million) Number of accountants 
			 31 March 2010 20.2 309 
			 31 March 2011 20.9 343 
			 31 March 2012 17.9 301 
			 31 March 2013 19.0 311 
		
	
	The figures relate to the number of qualified accountants directly employed by the Department and paid against an accountancy pay scale (grades HEO to grade 6 excluding the senior civil service).
	The estimated spend is the cost to the Department comprising actual base salary inclusive of superannuation and employer's national insurance contributions. The figures are based on information as at 31 March. The figures for 31 March 2013 include the Child Maintenance Group.
	Accountants are 0.7% of the pay bill and 0.3% of staff in post.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Mark Hoban: The Department provides services to over 20 million customers and delivers these services from 900 buildings accommodating 100,000 staff. Since 1998 the Department's accommodation has been provided and managed by its service partner, Telereal Trillium.
	In line with its current business plans, the Department is undergoing an estate rationalisation programme which by April 2013 had saved £51.8 million. To facilitate the Department has spent £11.2 million in the last 24 months on building rationalisation and refurbishment activity.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Mark Hoban: Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium
	Therefore the Department does not own any properties under the PRIME contract.
	The Department rents 85 sites which equates to 176,061m(2) of space across London. The vast majority of these are operational sites such as jobcentres, contact centres and processing centres.
	The Valuation Office Agency 2012 valuations placed on these properties amounted to £365,371,623.

Employment and Support Allowance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals placed in the work-related activity group since 2008 have received a prognosis statement that specifically advises work is unlikely in the longer term.

Mark Hoban: There is no such prognosis as being unable to return to work in the longer-term. However, the following table shows how many claimants have been allocated a prognosis of two years or more:
	
		
			 New claims: Outcomes of initial functional assessments by prognosis and month of result date, for the work-related activity group, Great Britain 
			  Claimants with prognosis of two years or more 
			 December 2008 (1)— 
			 January 2009 (1)— 
			 February 2009 (1)— 
			 March 2009 200 
			 April 2009 200 
			 May 2009 200 
			 June 2009 300 
			 July 2009 400 
			 August 2009 400 
			 September 2009 300 
			 October 2009 300 
			 November 2009 300 
			 December 2009 300 
			 January 2010 300 
			 February 2010 300 
			 March 2010 300 
			 April 2010 200 
			 May 2010 300 
			 June 2010 300 
			 July 2010 300 
			 August 2010 200 
			 September 2010 300 
			 October 2010 300 
			 November 2010 200 
		
	
	
		
			 December 2010 200 
			 January 2011 200 
			 February 2011 200 
			 March 2011 200 
			 April 2011 200 
			 May 2011 200 
			 June 2011 100 
			 July 2011 100 
			 August 2011 100 
			 September 2011 100 
			 October 2011 100 
			 November 2011 100 
			 December 2011 100 
			 January 2012 200 
			 February 2012 200 
			 March 2012 200 
			 April 2012 200 
			 May 2012 200 
			 June 2012 200 
			 July 2012 200 
			 August 2012 200 
			 September 2012 200 
			 October 2012 300 
			 November 2012 300 
			 December 2012 200 
			 January 2013 200 
			 February 2013 200 
			 (1) Denotes nil or negligible. Scope: Initial functional assessment—the first assessment of the Employment and Support Allowance claim. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker's decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker's decision is not yet available. Note: Figures are shown rounded to the nearest 100. Source: Data in the table is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons applicants for employment and support allowance with a debilitating progressive condition found unlikely to return to work by an Atos Healthcare professional are being placed, following a work capability assessment, in the work-related activity group; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: A Claimant placed in the Work Related Activity Group is considered able to undertake work related activity which may help some with progressive conditions find suitable employment. In addition, although the health of some claimants can deteriorate, others may find their function improves whilst others adapt to their condition. This could be in response to changes in treatment, rehabilitation or new treatments that become available. Appropriate review ensures that an individual continues to receive the right level of support, including being moved into the Support Group if necessary.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) jobs, (b) apprenticeships and (c) work experience placements have been created in Birmingham since the launch of the Youth Contract; and how many his Department estimates will be created in each such category up to 2015.

Mark Hoban: Between April 2012 and May 2013 there have been 2,230 work experience and 550 sector based academy starts in Birmingham. We do not have a breakdown of the number of Wage Incentive payments, or Apprentice Grant to Employers made in Birmingham since the launch of the Youth Contract. A regional breakdown of the number of Wage Incentive payments will be included in the next set of Official Statistics.
	There are no forward projections on how many Wage Incentives, Apprenticeship Grants to Employers or work experience placements will be created in Birmingham up to 2015.

Food Banks: Voucher Schemes

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which organisations his Department consulted prior to the redesign of the food bank vouchers issued by Jobcentre Plus staff to clients; and when each was consulted.

Mark Hoban: Jobcentre Plus signposts people to food banks only; it does not issue vouchers.

Housing Benefit

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 250W on social security benefits: EU nationals, what the evidential basis is for housing benefit being a benefit that facilitates access to the labour market for the purposes of EU law.

Mark Hoban: Housing benefit is a linked to job seekers allowance, and classed as an in-work benefit in EU law. EU nationals only have access to housing benefit when they have satisfied that they are habitually resident in the United Kingdom, and those without a relevant right to reside cannot qualify for income-related benefits. All those who are entitled and eligible for benefits are treated equally, regardless of nationality, and assessed appropriately.
	The issues of housing benefit and employment are covered in a number of DWP research reports, for example:
	Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No 521 ‘Social housing and worklessness: Qualitative research findings’ by Del Roy Fletcher, Tony Gore, Kesia Reeve and David Robinson with Nadia Bashir, Rosalind Goudie and Sonia O'Toole:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130314010347/http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep521.pdf
	Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No 482 ‘Social housing and worklessness: Key policy messages’ by Del Roy Fletcher, Tony Gore, Kesia Reeve and David Robinson:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130314010347/http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep482.pdf
	Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No 383 ‘Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit as in work benefits; claimants' and advisors' knowledge, attitudes and experiences’ by Caroline Turley and Andrew Thomas:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130314010347/http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2005-2006/rrep383.pdf
	Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No 79 ‘Moving into work: bridging housing costs’ by Bruce Stafford, Claire Heaver, Nicola Croden, Anne Abel Smith, Susan Maguire and Jill Vincent:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130314010347/http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rrep079.pdf
	Though these reports date from a number of years ago and in many cases do not reflect the current system of housing benefit, they have been used, where appropriate, in designing the current system of housing support.

Housing Benefit

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to monitor the way in which the discretionary housing payment budgets are being used at local level.

Steve Webb: This year, reporting measures have been introduced to monitor how discretionary housing payments (DHP) are supporting people affected by the welfare reforms. Since April, local authorities have been recording the number of successful DHP awards which have been made to claimants affected by either the benefit cap; the removal of the spare room subsidy in the social rented sector; local housing allowance reforms in the private rented sector or a combination of these reforms. In addition, local authorities will record the broad or main outcome of the award.
	The first return from local authorities is expected later this year.

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in private rented accommodation in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England are in receipt of housing benefit.

Steve Webb: The information requested on housing benefit claimants in the private rented sector in Ashfield constituency, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands and England can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	The local authorities that will need to be extracted for Nottinghamshire are Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood and Rushcliffe. The unitary authority of Nottingham should also be included.
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of armed forces veterans who have been affected by the spare room subsidy in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Mark Hoban: Spend in each of the last three full years and the current year to date is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 6,885,667 
			 2011-12 5,376,805 
			 2012-13 5,209,110 
			 2013-14 (April - July) 1,477,967 
		
	
	This includes the cost of printing all forms, information leaflets, marketing and publicity materials, reports and parliamentary papers, all of which are available to individuals and organisations outside DWP. The figures do not include the cost of printing letters sent to claimants and customers.

Social Security Benefits

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made on reaching an agreement with the European Commission in relation to developing a form suited to the exchange of medical information for benefit purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The EU Administrative Commission on the Coordination of Social Security Systems has established an expert ad-hoc group to examine the format of forms to exchange medical information for benefit purposes. An expert from this Department represents the United Kingdom on that group to ensure that our concerns are addressed in the design of new forms, and that these will be suitable for the transmission of medical information for UK benefits. The group is expected to report to the Administrative Commission by the end of the year.

Travel

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on travel for departmental officials in each of the last five years.

Mark Hoban: In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions has taken vigorous actions to enhance its business travel policy. The DWP's business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless other alternatives have been examined and exhausted. Where travel is deemed appropriate it requires the use of the most cost effective mode of transport.
	The expenditure on travel for DWP officials in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2008-09 63.5 
			 2009-10 67.1 
			 2010-11 40.0 
			 2011-12 31.3 
			 2012-13 30.5 
		
	
	This information should be viewed in the context of a Department employing around 100,000 staff.

Unemployment: Wirral

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of people in each ward who have been unemployed for (a) six, (b) 12 and (c) 24 months in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the number of people in each ward who have been unemployed for (a) six, (b) 12 and (c) 24 months in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. (169078)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested geography are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), for each ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral for (a) up to 6 months, (b) 6 to 12 months, (c) 12 to 24 months and (d) 24 months and over, for August 2013.
	The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1. Number(1) of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for up to 6 months, 6 to 12 months, 12 to 24 months, and over 24 months, for each ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, August 2013 
			 Ward Up to 6 months 6 to 12 months 12 to 24 months 24 months and over 
			 Bebington 140 20 30 20 
			 Bidston 255 110 70 80 
			 Birkenhead 400 170 105 125 
			 Bromborough 165 55 30 45 
			 Clatterbridge ¦95 20 20 10 
			 Claughton 180 55 40 40 
			 Eastham 95 30 15 25 
			 Egerton 225 105 60 60 
			 Heswall 75 20 10 10 
			 Hoylake 105 20 10 15 
			 Leasowe 195 85 50 55 
			 Liscard 220 80 60 55 
			 Moreton 120 40 35 25 
			 New Brighton 220 70 60 65 
			 Oxton 160 60 40 25 
			 Prenton 145 50 30 25 
			 Royden 110 25 15 10 
			 Seacombe 325 160 105 105 
			 Thurstaston 110 20 15 10 
			 Tranmere 305 135 80 100 
			 Upton 195 60 45 35 
		
	
	
		
			 Wallasey 120 25 20 25 
			 (1) Data rounded to the nearest 5 to safeguard the confidentiality of information about individual claimants. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System

Universal Credit

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when Housing and Council Tax Benefit Administration grants will cease to be paid as a result of the introduction of universal credit.

Steve Webb: Housing benefit administration grant is included within the current spending review. We will consider this as part of the next spending review with consideration to the migration of claims from housing benefit onto universal credit.
	Council Tax Benefit Administration grant has ceased from March 2013 as a result of the cessation of the council tax benefit scheme. Funding towards administering the localised council tax support schemes is the responsibility of DCLG and the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether arrears will be deducted directly from a recipient of Universal Credit with rent arrears which triggers a transfer to managed payments.

Steve Webb: In cases that are converted to managed payment of rent as a result of the rent arrears trigger, arrears will be deducted from the UC award.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department will be notified of a universal credit recipient's rent arrears.

Steve Webb: DWP can be notified of a universal credit claimant's rent arrears by the landlord, the claimant themselves or a representative on their behalf. In the UC Pathfinder rent arrears are notified to the UC Service Centre.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when a recipient of universal credit accrues eight weeks' rent arrears and is moved to managed payments, how long will it be before they are moved back to direct payments.

Steve Webb: Under universal credit we will return claimants to direct payment of rent once we are satisfied that they are in a position to manage their affairs. We expect that managed payments will remain in place at least until the outstanding arrears have been recovered. One of the failings of the current system is that decisions to move claimants to managed payments of rent are not systematically reviewed. How long managed payments remain in place beyond that will depend upon individual circumstance but we expect most claimants would not be switched back to direct payments for a further six months.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he proposes that recipients of universal credit, who already have rent arrears when they claim, will be moved onto direct payment.

Steve Webb: It will depend on the claimant's circumstances. All new claims will be looked at on an individual basis to establish whether the claimant is in a position to manage his or her own affairs. Managed payments of rent will only be considered for those claimants who cannot genuinely manage the standard monthly payment and as a result there is a risk to the household's accommodation.

Winter Fuel Payments

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England were in receipt of the winter fuel allowance in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Ashfield parliamentary constituency 21,580 22,460 22,600 22,440 22,460 
			 Nottinghamshire local authorities 220,390 224,500 225,920 224,050 223,080 
			 East Midlands region 948,090 970,140 980,730 975,420 974,000 
			 England 10,592,900 10,810,130 10,896,780 10,815,460 10,773,770 
			 Notes: 1. Reductions in the overall numbers from 2011-12 are primarily due to the qualifying age for WFPs increasing in line with the increase in women's state pension age. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten and therefore totals may not sum. 3. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. The Nottinghamshire LAs comprise the local authorities of Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood and Rushcliffe and also Nottingham unitary authority. 4. These tables recognise the April 2009 structural changes to the local authorities of England. 5. Figures from 2009-10 to 2012-13 are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures Source: Information Governance and Security Directorate, DWP